Erik ten Hag still has obvious transfer priority despite Manchester United player's upturn

Harry Maguire remains on borrowed time at Manchester United despite his Champions League heroics.

The former captain, who had the armband brutally taken away from him this summer, was seemingly on his way to West Ham after United accepted an offer worth around £30million for his services. The end appeared nigh for the England regular at that stage and he had an important decision to make.

With another major tournament on the horizon, Maguire knew he would be restricted to limited opportunities in the event he turned down a transfer, but that is the exact route the 30-year-old opted to go down. With that risk came great, but unlikely, rewards and the unfancied centre-back is now reaping them.

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It has been fantastic to see Maguire performing so well despite having one foot pushed out the door this summer. His upturn is real credit to his mental fortitude and nobody, let alone a player so committed to the cause, deserves to be criticised to the extent that Maguire has over recent times.

Of course, there is always room for subjective and constructive assessment, but in some circles that has turned to abuse and that must not be tolerated. Maguire is never going to be the most popular player around, granted, yet he has proven time and time again what he can do wearing an England shirt.

You could put forward an incredibly strong case to disregard his longer-term United credentials - and Erik ten Hag appeared to do that when making him available for transfer - but for the here and now the manager and one-time captain are giving each other exactly what they want.

Maguire probably won't need